West Bengal records heavy polling in 8th phase elections

India completed its eighth phase of polling to elect a new Parliament in New Delhi with heavy balloting recorded in West Bengal with an overall turnout of nearly 80 percent on Wednesday.

In this phase 64 parliamentary constituencies across seven states went to the hustings. Voting was held for 25 seats in Andhra Pradesh, 15 in Uttar Pradesh, 7 in Bihar, 6 in West Bengal, 5 in Uttarakhand, 2 in Jammu and Kahsmir and 4 in Himachal Pradesh.

Over 71 percent balloting was recorded till 5 pm in Seemandhrain Andhra Pradesh. The highest turnout of 74 percent was recorded in Guntur, while Visakhapatnam recorded the lowest polling percentage of 67 percent.

Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) president Ram Vilas Paswan on Wednesday said the Narendra Modi wave will sweep Bihar this election.

"In Bihar, there is only Modi wave. I am confident that the BJP-LJP combine will win by a huge majority from here," said Paswan, who is contesting the Lok Sabha elections from Hajipur constituency of Bihar.

"The entire Bihar is supporting the Modi-Paswan factor," he said.

Polling is also being held in 175 assembly constituencies in Seemandhra region of Andhra Pradesh simultaneously on Wednesday.

Meanwhile, West Bengal witnessed stray violence in areas like Asansol.

Besides police baton charge at Burnpur, Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) alleged booth capturing in Bankura in the constituency of Basudeb Acharya.

CPI-M alleged booth capturing by the ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) in West Bengal.

Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) candidate from Amethi, Kumar Vishwas, on Wednesday alleged that Congress activists tried to capture booths in the constituency.

He alleged Sub Divisional Magistrate (SDM) of Amethi RD Ram is not taking any action on the incidents.

In Jammu and Kashmir miscreants hurled a grenade at a polling booth at Baramulla district injuring a Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel, said reports.

The incident took place at Pahlan Pattan area while voting was underway.

As Seemandhra region, which is going to be the resized and truncated Andhra Pradesh from next month with the creation of Telangana, voted to elect for the parliament and the state assembly, YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) chief Jaganmohan Reddy said he would sweep the polls.

"... will make a clean sweep," said Reddy speaking to media.

Reddy's YSR Congress was pitted against Chandrababu Naidu's Telugu Desam Party (TDP). TDP has forged an alliance with the BJP.

Reddy, who fought the Congress and the Gandhi family and was in jail over corruption charges, is hoping to cash in on the legacy of his father YSR who died in a helicopter crash in 2009.

Forty one-year-old Reddy's wife Bharti and sister YS Sharmila were seen in queue for voting while he himself and his mother Y S Vijayamma, who is the party's honorary president, voted in Pulivendula in native Kadapa district.